idlemarvel
Neither idle nor a marvel
Playmobil trains run on 45mm gauge “G scale” track. Playmobil used to produce track powered locos similar to LGB Toy Trains but moved on to battery powered radio control. This set uses newer and different radio control technology (28GHz) and a new and different motor block to previous Playmobil locos.
This set consists of an oval of track, loco, controller, wagon with three containers and two people. The loco is not available separately.
The packaging was a bit basic, no foam, only corrugated cardboard. The loco and wagon had come free in transit, but with no damage as far as I can tell. It was not really clear how to open the box as it was glued all round.
The models have sturdy construction and clip together well. The finish on the plastic is very good. I can see these are well designed to fit with the Playmobil people, for example the handrails and loco controls fit the hands of the people, and the feet clip into the foot wells and steps.
The assembly instructions are clear, however there is no mention on the box of the need for a small screwdriver to unfasten the battery compartments in the remote control and loco. I can imagine those small screws easily getting lost as batteries are removed and replaced. I will probably leave out the loco battery compartment screw as it is not really required. The battery pack clips in place under the cover and would not fall out even if you turned the loco upside down.
The operating instructions are brief but clear. Radio control is simple to set up. There is no need for matching colour crystals any more; instead there is some kind of pairing process between the controller and the loco which is remembered until you remove the battery. There are two buttons on the rear of the loco, one for on/off and one for channel search.
The motor control is not very granular. The controller has a rotary control, clockwise backwards, anti-clockwise forwards, with a central lock stop position. There seem to be four speed steps, slow-ish, medium, fast and very fast. There does not seem to be a realistic shunting speed. The light and sound buttons work fine.
Lighting is good and prototypical for German railways – 3 white lights going forward, 2 red lights in reverse. The lights are very bright and there is a lot of light leakage through the body of the loco (see below). There is no cab light.
Sound is basic and could do with being louder. I am not sure if it would be readily audible outdoors. There is engine start noise which transitions to running noise but as far as I can tell no pitch change as the loco speed changes, and no brake noise. There is a horn sound as well.
The motors (I believe there are two, one for each axle, although I have not taken the loco apart to confirm this) are quite noisy. Maybe they will run in over time, or maybe they need more lubrication. The noise of the motor almost masks the electronically generated engine noise. With the 6 x AA batteries the loco has a reasonable weight. I have not tested the pulling power. The wheels are plastic. Two of the wheels have a traction tire fitted.
Couplings are standard LGB/PIKO and work well – they hold their grip and are released easily. The loco has no hooks only loops, and no provision to add hooks. The wagon has one hook fitted; an additional hook is provided if you want hooks at both ends.
The loco is 285mm long over buffers, which with claimed “prototype” length of 8.4m corresponds to scale 1:29 which is similar to PIKO and LGB mainline 45mm gauge locos. The height is about 150mm. The wheelbase is about 130mm which is longer than the other Playmobil four wheel motor blocks. Perhaps due to the long wheel base the loco slows down appreciably on the sharp Playmobil plastic curves, which at 536mm radius are even tighter than LGB or PIKO R1 curves.
The track is strong plastic which clips together easily, and can be used like that if laid on a flat surface. There are clips provided to join the tracks together more securely. The set provides an oval (12 x curves and 2 x straights). Points, a 30 degree crossing and a buffer stop are also available, but only one radius curve is available.
The loco seems to be vaguely modelled on a DB V60 / 260 / 360 diesel shunter or switcher, although the model is 0-4-0 not 0-6-0 and has no platforms or handrails at the front and back. I did say vaguely modelled! The running number is 1802.006 which is fictitious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_Class_V_60
The wagon is well built, with spoked plastic wheels, and is a reasonably good representation of a low sided wagon. The sides fold down and have working retaining hooks. Three small removable containers with opening tops are provided as a load.
Overall my initial impressions of Playmobil as a manufacturer are very good. I think this model is good provided you are not too concerned with prototypical accuracy and are looking for a value for money battery powered radio controlled loco. Obviously if you are a Playmobil fan it will fit in well with any other buildings, vehicles and people you have. This would be a super introduction to G-scale for children.
This set consists of an oval of track, loco, controller, wagon with three containers and two people. The loco is not available separately.
The packaging was a bit basic, no foam, only corrugated cardboard. The loco and wagon had come free in transit, but with no damage as far as I can tell. It was not really clear how to open the box as it was glued all round.
The models have sturdy construction and clip together well. The finish on the plastic is very good. I can see these are well designed to fit with the Playmobil people, for example the handrails and loco controls fit the hands of the people, and the feet clip into the foot wells and steps.
The assembly instructions are clear, however there is no mention on the box of the need for a small screwdriver to unfasten the battery compartments in the remote control and loco. I can imagine those small screws easily getting lost as batteries are removed and replaced. I will probably leave out the loco battery compartment screw as it is not really required. The battery pack clips in place under the cover and would not fall out even if you turned the loco upside down.
The operating instructions are brief but clear. Radio control is simple to set up. There is no need for matching colour crystals any more; instead there is some kind of pairing process between the controller and the loco which is remembered until you remove the battery. There are two buttons on the rear of the loco, one for on/off and one for channel search.
The motor control is not very granular. The controller has a rotary control, clockwise backwards, anti-clockwise forwards, with a central lock stop position. There seem to be four speed steps, slow-ish, medium, fast and very fast. There does not seem to be a realistic shunting speed. The light and sound buttons work fine.
Lighting is good and prototypical for German railways – 3 white lights going forward, 2 red lights in reverse. The lights are very bright and there is a lot of light leakage through the body of the loco (see below). There is no cab light.
Sound is basic and could do with being louder. I am not sure if it would be readily audible outdoors. There is engine start noise which transitions to running noise but as far as I can tell no pitch change as the loco speed changes, and no brake noise. There is a horn sound as well.
The motors (I believe there are two, one for each axle, although I have not taken the loco apart to confirm this) are quite noisy. Maybe they will run in over time, or maybe they need more lubrication. The noise of the motor almost masks the electronically generated engine noise. With the 6 x AA batteries the loco has a reasonable weight. I have not tested the pulling power. The wheels are plastic. Two of the wheels have a traction tire fitted.
Couplings are standard LGB/PIKO and work well – they hold their grip and are released easily. The loco has no hooks only loops, and no provision to add hooks. The wagon has one hook fitted; an additional hook is provided if you want hooks at both ends.
The loco is 285mm long over buffers, which with claimed “prototype” length of 8.4m corresponds to scale 1:29 which is similar to PIKO and LGB mainline 45mm gauge locos. The height is about 150mm. The wheelbase is about 130mm which is longer than the other Playmobil four wheel motor blocks. Perhaps due to the long wheel base the loco slows down appreciably on the sharp Playmobil plastic curves, which at 536mm radius are even tighter than LGB or PIKO R1 curves.
The track is strong plastic which clips together easily, and can be used like that if laid on a flat surface. There are clips provided to join the tracks together more securely. The set provides an oval (12 x curves and 2 x straights). Points, a 30 degree crossing and a buffer stop are also available, but only one radius curve is available.
The loco seems to be vaguely modelled on a DB V60 / 260 / 360 diesel shunter or switcher, although the model is 0-4-0 not 0-6-0 and has no platforms or handrails at the front and back. I did say vaguely modelled! The running number is 1802.006 which is fictitious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_Class_V_60
The wagon is well built, with spoked plastic wheels, and is a reasonably good representation of a low sided wagon. The sides fold down and have working retaining hooks. Three small removable containers with opening tops are provided as a load.
Overall my initial impressions of Playmobil as a manufacturer are very good. I think this model is good provided you are not too concerned with prototypical accuracy and are looking for a value for money battery powered radio controlled loco. Obviously if you are a Playmobil fan it will fit in well with any other buildings, vehicles and people you have. This would be a super introduction to G-scale for children.
